A common procedure for handling pain associated with degenerative spinal disk disease uses devices for fusing together two or more adjacent vertebral bodies. The procedure is known by a number of terms, one of which is interbody fusion. Interbody fusion can be accomplished through the use of a number of methods and devices known in the art. These methods and devices include screw arrangements, solid bone implant methodologies, and fusion devices which include a cage or other mechanism packed with bone and/or bone growth inducing substances. One or more of the above are implanted between adjacent vertebral bodies in order to fuse the vertebral bodies together, thereby alleviating associated pain.
It can be advantageous to associate with such primary fusion devices and methods, supplemental devices which assist in the fusion process. These supplemental devices assist during the several month period when bone from the adjacent vertebral bodies is growing together through the primary fusion device in order to fuse the adjacent vertebral bodies. During this period it is advantageous to have the vertebral bodies held immobile with respect to each other so that sufficient bone growth can be established.
Such supplemental devices can include hook and rod arrangements, screw arrangements, and a number of other devices which include straps, wires, and bands, all of which are used to immobilize one portion of the spine relative to another. All of these devices generally require extensive surgical procedures in addition to the extensive procedure surrounding the primary fusion implant.
It is advantageous for a device and procedure for supplemental spine fixation to be as simple and easy to perform as possible, and optimally such a device and procedure leaves bone, ligament, and other tissue which comprise and surround the spine intact.